Spartan of The Republic (Revised Version)
by Allta7
Summary: During a Covenant interrogation, A-253, a UNSC Spartan, is teleported to the planet Umbara during the Clone Wars. It's there that her war on Reach ends and she then begins to fight in another man's war. (With brief mentions of NOBLE Team.)
1. Chapter 1

_Sangheili voices._

 _The sound of the aggressive species tongue reached her ears as she slowly breached consciousness, tugging her arms on instinct and finding out that she was chained to a wall in an abandoned house. Managing to open her eyes, A-253 looked to see one of the towering creatures standing in front of her, its black eyes staring into her black tinted visor, as if it were trying to find her own. After a few moments of silence, the Field General ripped off A-253's Commando helmet and looked at her before he moved back, allowing two minor ranked Elites to begin the interrogation. After what seemed like an eternity, the Spartan lifted her head, looked at the Field General before she spat blood at its feet and, in return, the high ranking Elite ignited the energy sword and pierced the lower half of the torso plating, dragging it in a downward diagonal motion._

 _Even with the combined pain and the alarms of her shields blaring, A-253 could just barely make out the chatter among the Sangheilis, once hostile and mocking turned into frantic growls and howling before a blinding light engulfed them and then it was silence._

* * *

When she finally managed to regain full consciousness, the Spartan realized that her helmet was missing and she was being dragged across the dirt. A-253 eyes fell upon the being that was dragging her; pointed facial structures, gray skin and yellow eyes and he was wearing what looked to be a life preserver suite. Maybe the air here is dangerous to him? Regardless, the being had her captive and thus was thus deemed the enemy. Getting an understanding of its grip, she could feel the humanoid was struggling quite a bit with holding onto her. With one swift movement, A-253 shot up and brought her free elbow around, the armor shattering the glass before a crunch could be heard. With the gray humanoid letting go, she brought around her other fist and another crunch could be heard before her captor lay still on the ground, it's air supply hissing out of the tubes. If anything, she knew that they would be no problem.

Turning from the body, she followed the trail of upturned dirt that was left behind and soon found herself at its end, the dead Field General lay with its neck at an awkward angle and its energy sword not far from it. Checking its charge, it had at least seventy percent left in it and she hooked it on her hip. Looking around for her helmet, she had found that it was crammed between a rock and a hard place, causing her to pry it out and finding that it had small indents around the rim. Latching it into place, she turned the HUD readings with a few rapid blinks and the familiar hum of her shields recharging, and reaching at least sixty percent capacity; though not at full strength, it's better than nothing. Now having the opportunity to learn her surroundings, she noted that the planet's terrain was a bit rough, there was little light and the plants seemed to glow a reddish color. As she continued to walk about, several blimps appeared on her motion tracker seconds before the sound of mechanical whirring hit her ears. Climbing into one of the trees, she hid herself among the dark branches and waited for them to come into sight.

Once the source of the blimps appeared, she found herself curious; it was at least a small battalion of troopers in white and blue marked armor and helmets, and the occasional machine, that shared the Mantis prototypes, would appear from behind. Scouts, perhaps? What caught her attention were the three up front; one had four arms and reminded her of a fish while the two soldiers behind him had the same armor, but had shoulder pauldrons and belt-spats. Those three had to be in the higher rankings. The front section of the battalion where nearly across from her hiding spot when the four armed being turned its ugly head towards her perch, staring momentarily before motioning for them to continue onward. As her curiosity grew, A-253 found herself dodging from cover to cover, watching them. It was a good hour or so before they reached a large airfield and what the Spartan would assume was the base and watched as they disappeared inside. Setting her motion tracker from its usual 25 meter range to a 150 meter, she neared the electrical fencing and looked for a way in and going in through the front door wasn't going to be an option. Climbing on one of the trees, she neared the edge of a flexible branch and, combined with the weight of her armor, it bent over the fence and low enough that she could drop to the ground and roll.

Once inside, she checked her motion tracker briefly, two blimps disappearing, and made her way towards what looked like the hangar. Peaking around the corner, there were very few inside and their attention were more on the strange aircraft than her. A-253 made her way through the shadows and deeper into the base, and made the mistake of letting her guard down momentarily before she felt something prod in her brain before it settled in the center. Focusing on the unwanted feeling, she began to resist, pushing it out before she made a mental wall. As the Spartan continued, she would feel it return and pick at the wall before A-253 would shove it away again. It wasn't until, moments later that it returned and hit the wall much like a tidal wave and flooded her mind and she continued to fight before it took over and A-253 fell into an unconscious state.


	2. Chapter 2

**(This may be more of a casual chapter than what I first imagined. But here we may get a small look into Tionne's personality.)**

When A-253 regained consciousness for what seemed like the third time, she glanced around lazily before her senses kicked in seconds later, realizing she had no helmet for the second time and was in a cell. Giving a few experimental tugs, she found that her arms were suspended in what looked like anti-gravity restraints, the lower half of her body free and resting against the wall. Giving a quiet sigh of discontent, A-253 started to think of ways she could get herself out her current predicament. The Spartan sat in silence for a few moments before the energy barrier for the cell dissolved and one of the troopers with the belt-spat entered along with a red haired and bearded man beside him.

"I'm looking right at her," the man began, "but in the Force, I might as well be looking at a void. I can barely get a good reading on her." He continued to examine her; she fair skin and light blonde hair that, at one point, might've been really short but has now started growing out into shaggy waves. She had blue eyes with flecks of bronze in them. He also notes on that a variety of bruises and cuts covered her face, left eye swollen and black and a split bottom lip. They looked recent, seeing how the split was swollen and bleeding, the cuts were either still raw or had dried blood.

"Think she may be with the Umbarans, General?" The trooper questioned. The markings on his helmet reminded A-253 of sharp pointed eyes.

"It's uncertain. She certainly doesn't seem like she allied with the Republic or the Separatists." The man replied, "Tell General Krell that I need him here. Maybe, with some mind reading, we can figure her out. Though, the last time I tried to get in her head, it took quite an effort." With that, the trooper nodded and exited the cell. The General used the Force and gave a single push and found that her mental wall was at full strength, maybe doubled, "Soon enough, we'll find out who are you."

The Spartan just fixed him with a neutral glare. His words didn't sound like a threat, but they weren't exactly friendly either. The General soon left and reactivated the barrier, leaving the Spartan to wonder where the hell her helmet went, until she saw it sitting on a nearby table, a droid scanning in and around it. At least an hour and a half later, A-253 learned that General Krell was the four-armed being she saw when she had first arrived. The two Generals then walked over to her cell.

"Has there been any progress, Kenobi?" Krell questioned.

"None. She seems to have a stronger will to resist the Force. Every time I attempt to even get inside her head, she pushes me right out." Kenobi looked from the Spartan to Krell, "That's why I requested that you come here, so that we may be able to combine our abilities and figure out where she came from."

Krell nodded, "She will break. They all do." They then turned toward her and were met with a determined scowl. Moving into the cell, the two then outstretched their hands. A-253 didn't feel anything for a few seconds until an incredible pain erupted in her head, nearly making the Spartan grit her teeth. She could hear mixed voices in her head, trying to coerce A-253 into letting them take over. Determined to not let them win, the Spartan focused on her anti-interrogation training, repeating her designation, name and rank.

 _Alpha-253, Tionne, Lieutenant._

Tionne repeated this up until her own voice was heard over the ones filling her head. She had almost succeeded in pushing both of them out, right until a cold and unwelcoming presence wormed its way in her head. For a split moment, it honestly felt like death was creeping up and Tionne felt herself losing consciousness. She could hear voices saying 'stop' and the occasional unintelligible word. Truth be told, Tionne felt sick to her stomach and her head was pulsating with pain on all sides, vision blurring slightly. She was faintly aware of her restrains letting her go and someone's hands setting her up against the cell wall.

 _Why the shit does my head hurt so much? It wasn't so bad the first time. But this-this is much different._

"Looks like you were wrong, Krell."

"If we had kept it up," Krell argued, "she would be giving us information."

"You know well enough that this kind of use can do harm to both a Force user and the person it's being used on." Kenobi retorted, then turned to the soldier with the sharp pointed eyes on his helmet, "Rex, I need you and Fives to take our captive to the medbay. I highly doubt she'll try to run at this point."

Rex and Fives nodded before they each grabbed an arm and hauled Tionne to her feet and made their way to the medic. As her vision cleared, Tionne could easily tell that they were using a shared communication system by how they would tilt or turn their heads. Once they reached the medbay, a man wearing the grey medical uniform took Tionne from them and set her among the various wounded.

"I'll get to you as soon as I can." He told her and Tionne offered a polite nod.

"Them first, though." The first words that she had said were nothing more than a whisper. "I can wait." The medic nodded, taking off to help others. Hearing a pained gasp beside her, she looked over to see a young man with tan skin and military cropped black hair, arm wrapped around his side. Grabbing his wrist, Tionne easily pulled it back to see a chunk of burnt skin. Getting a good look at the wound, it seems that, if there were any shards of debris, they had already been picked out. Reaching into the small med pack on her hip, she pulled out a disinfectant spray and a roll of gauze.

Giving the spray a gently shake, she undid the cap. Looking at the trooper, Tionne could easily see him bracing himself, his muscles tensing. The moment the spray came in contact, a sharp hiss escaped from the wounded trooper and his body jerked only slightly. Tionne gave his shoulder a squeeze and finished applying the disinfectant. Reaching for the gauze roll, she began wrapping the material around his side. "This'll hold until you get help, alright?"

The trooper nodded gratefully before he leaned back against the wall and dozed off. Thirty minutes had passed before she, too, felt herself become exhausted but refused to give in to sleep. Feeling a cold needle be injected under the skin, she could feel her veins run cold and her body began to relax. Tionne felt the pain in her head and stomach disappear and decided that she wasn't even going to fight it, and let sleep take over.


	3. Chapter 3

When Tionne woke much later, she opened her eyes and was met with a bleary environment and the smell of disinfectant reminded her of the facilities back on Reach. Tionne nearly called out the name of a deceased squad mate before the Spartan realized that she was no longer on Reach. Letting her fingers rest on her previously blackened eye, she could no longer feel the swelling or the sting from the cuts. Feeling along her bottom lip, there was slight dent were the former split used to be. Despite whatever 'miracle' they had used, there were still some tenderness around her eye and other various muscles. Looking around at the other soldiers receiving the substance, the Spartan noticed a rapid recovery for those who have less severe injuries than those who were in the tanks. Perhaps it was her augmentation that caused the slight interference with the process? Maybe it has yet to heal the tender tissue? Pushing the thought aside for now, she sat in a more upright position against the wall, where she had remained for what she guessed was a couple of hours. After getting a more clear heading, Tionne looked over to see that the soldier with the burn was sleeping soundly. Noticing how the dampness of his hair glinted only slightly told her that he had been in one of the tanks, and recently removed from said tank. Nodding quietly at his improved state of being, Tionne turned her head sharply at the sound of heavy footsteps from the corridor and automatically went to reach for the energy sword, only to grab the air.

 _Shit._ Tionne thought to herself as she raised herself up and crouched into a defensive position, balancing her center. The Spartan seemed to be at an impass, the need to escape was at war with the idea of staying out of the fight for a moment. Tionne had no weapon, no layout of the building or what kind of training and weaponry this army had. So she opted for waiting as the footsteps grew closer and two heavy armored clad troopers entered the medbay. Tionne was sure they had to be this army's version of a Commando.

"You're needed for questioning." One of them said and they went to grab her arms and haul her up. Her mind was yelling at her to escape and hide until common sense took over and said not yet. Guiding her down a long corridor, they came to a room with a heavy blast door. When the Commando typed in a specific code, the thick door opened with a swoosh and the room had the cliche appearance with the dim lighting, a desk and a couple of chairs. The only thing that stuck out was a restraint, similar to the one in her previous cell, hung further back in the room. Tionne eyed it until she felt herself being pushed downward into one of the chairs and the two commandos stood back against the wall. No sooner, the door opened and in walked the red headed human from before and the trooper who she could only assume was a high ranking soldier, giving the blue strips on the grey belt-spat. Nearing the table, the older man waved a hand at his companion, telling him to stand by.

"Who are you, exactly?" He questioned, sitting across from her. Feeling rather irritated by a common question, Tionne raised her head to make eye contact.

"I'd figure you would know from your exploration in my head." She ground out, teeth slightly bared. The Spartan could feel a former aggression begin to rise and she forced herself to remain still. Outward aggression during interrogation generally ended badly, though she won't lie when she felt a little triumphant at the taken back expression. Tionne didn't doubt that he felt it either.

The man, after a few unsuccessful attempts, spoke to the white and blue soldier before leaving, the former taking his seat. "I know what you are." With those words, Tionne felt herself tense slightly before he spoke again. "You're a fighter, a soldier, like myself." He took off the helmet, revealing a face much similar to the one she met in the medbay. Though this one was visibly older, more scars to show and a numeral tattoo on his left temple.

"You don't know me."

"I know that you were altered. A normal human wouldn't be able to resist a Force influenced sleep as long as you did-or a mind reading." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I saw what you did in the medbay. So, I know that you have some compassion and that you've been with a squad." He finished as he sat back in the chair.

Tionne's gaze shifted to the table. He wasn't wrong and he seemed to know what it's like. But the question remained: Was she able to trust him? "You're not wrong." She whispered. Looking behind her, he had the two commandos exit the room.

"I'll make you a little deal: I'll give you a chance to guess my name-though it's not difficult-and, in return, you tell me yours. Or at least designation. Deal?"

Tionne nodded and stared at him for a few heartbeats. At first, she couldn't believe she was doing this, but if it gets her out faster, she'll take it. She thought long and hard but couldn't think, but one thing stood out: his tattoo. Its in the shape of a five. "Five?"

He shrugged, "Close enough. It's Fives, since my own number is CT-5555. Now, don't make me regret this."

The Spartan fell silent before opening her mouth, "Alpha-253. You said name or designation, I gave you the latter."

Fives nodded. "I guess that's the closest we'll get. I'll have to return you to your cell, but we won't hook you up to restraints." He gave her a megawatt grin before putting her cuffs on and guiding her back to the cell. As they walked he leaned towards her, "Thanks for letting him go first. He's still young, and that act saved his life." At his words, Tionne felt an unfamiliar emotion inside her. For years, people would look at her as if she was an imposing figure and a majority of UNSC Marines and ODSTs would look at her and others with hate. But yet, here was this man, Fives, thanking her for saving a life-something she has been trying to do for years. The remainder of the walk remained silent, but it was less tense than it was before.

Not quite friendly, but definitely less hostile. Tionne thought to herself as the trooper placed her back into that small and rounded cell, the familiar hum of an energy field closing the gap between them. The soldier with the eye markings on his helmet approached Fives, still using private comms around her, and the former soldier looked at Tionne before turning back to the holo-table. "Fives?" Tionne whispered.

"Hmm?"

"What are those markings on his helmet?" the Spartan pointed to the man across the room.

"They're called Jaig eyes. The markings are given to those who show honor and perform particular acts of bravery. Trust me when I say, that man has earned them."

Tionne reflected on the Jaig eyes. While Spartans could place symbols on the chest armor, there were no symbols given for any certain actions, the closest they got were scrapes and scuffs in armor. Though, in Tionne's opinion, scars mapped out a more detailed tale than dents in dirty armor. She watched for a moment as Fives moved from beside the cell and tilted his head slightly to the right, showing a conversation was in progress, and returned to his spot.

"Looks like I'll be playing guard, this time."

"You don't have to be so secretive with more casual conversations, you know." Tionne's face was a neutral expression, but her tone was slightly humorous.

Brown eyes glinted teasingly. "I can almost guarantee that, if our roles were switched, you would be doing the same." He chuckled at the silent huff of a response that came from the woman inside the cell. "I never thought to ask, are you hungry? Who knows how long it's been since you last ate."

The Spartan pondered his question. Training can cover so much, but it doesn't teach how to ward off interrogation by starvation, not that she went through it. Tionne gave a quiet hum before facing Fives. "Not all that much. After recent events, I'm not feeling very hungry. Nauseous as hell, though."

"That's to be expected, seeing that you had managed to resist the mind powers of two Jedi and looked to be in quite a bit of pain. Go ahead and rest, 253, before they grab you again."

She found that easier to be said than done. Without her helmet, Tionne felt exposed and unable to track the movements of those she couldn't see. The Spartan finally opted to sleep on her stomach and pulled one leg up, tucking an arm under her head before she managed to fall into a fitful slumber, plagued with many different voices speaking at once. Tionne wouldn't call it a nightmare, per say, but where your brain tried to remember every person that said your name. She just wanted to _sleep_ , dammit.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you all for being patient with me. Especially since it's been, what, a year since the last update? I'm hoping to get a timetable or something set out so I can start up a habit of writing more often. Honestly, I was hoping for a longer chapter, but I struggled a little with this one. Sorry, folks.**

 **I've been trying to reveal Tionne's personality little by little, rather than in a single chapter. Let me know how this turned out!**

Tionne had awoken several hours later to find that the room was empty, save for the droid attempting to repair her helmet. As much as the Spartan would like to have it fully operational again, she didn't like the idea of the hunk of metal touching it. Rising to her feet, Tionne gave an experimental stretch, finding that her shoulder and back was a little sore. Pulling her arm over her head, she felt a small pop around her shoulder blade and bent forward to touch her toes. "Where did everyone go?" she finally asked the droid, getting no answer. "I'm speaking to you."

"Impatient." Came it's single reply.

"I wouldn't be _impatient_ if you would give me an _answer_."

The droid made a noise similar to someone scoffing, the bastard. "They're all in the briefing room. The Besalisk Jedi insists on marching directly into the capital."

Tionne processed the information. Anyone with common sense would know that is a very risky tactic, especially if you're on the enemy's turf. She then thought back to Reach. The planet had basically been the birthplace for the Spartans and it's loss would deal a large blow to the UNSC. The only reason the Covenant were succeeding at their current rate was due to the element of surprise and their seemingly overwhelming numbers. The Spartan then looked at the mech with slight confusion. "Why no secrecy?"

"You're clearly not going anywhere. Especially not without your gear."

Tionne was certain she was going to shank it when she gets free. Sitting cross-legged, she began to pull off the gauntlet, followed by the small pieces that covered her fingers and then the gloves. while said pieces were a general pain the in ass, it sure did save a person the embarrassment of jamming their finger. Looking at her hands, a decently size scar ran at an odd angle across the back of her right hand, remembering that her hand had been smashed by something, but couldn't currently recall what. What Tionne _did_ remember, was that it required a couple of surgeries. Placing the gear back on, she leaned against the wall with an annoyed huff, a sign she was getting restless. When the large doors finally opened, she was greeted by Fives and another trooper with a series of markings shaped into a 'V'on his face. Tionne did have to give him props for being able to sit through that. A lot of normal people wouldn't be able to do that.

 _But we aren't exactly people. We don't live normal and soft lives. War is our normal._

"This, shiny, is who the Generals caught in the air vents." Fives then added with a chuckle. "Careful, she's got a mouth on her."

"I'll say she does." The droid quipped from behind them, earning a glare from the imprisoned Spartan before quickly going back to work. The mech wasn't going to last long. "They found her crawling through the air vents?" The newcomer whispered and Fives nodded.

"Managed to slip by our defenses. If it wasn't for Kenobi, we wouldn't know she was here. Kind of a shame we don't know her alliance."

"Why not have the one of the Generals influence her mind."

" _Both_ of them tried, and Krell nearly killed her. She had managed to fully recover from that." Fives and Tionne relished in the wide-eyed reaction the younger man gave, though they weren't going to let him know that. Fives let him go and Tionne, after questioning Fives, learned that the rookie's name was Dogma. It was then that she picked up a familiar uncertainty in his eyes, one that young UNSC Marines got before their first firefight. She went back and forth on whether or not to ask him what was eating at him, but decided against her better judgement and ask.

"You seem nervous."

"There's unrest amongst the troops. Some agree that the current strategy is a suicide run, but others say it's the best course of action." Fives fell silent and ran a hand through short hair. Tionne stood silently and observed his body language and, sure enough, he himself was tense. His body was stiff and voice sharp, lacking the level tone she heard earlier , it seemed like that wasn't the only thing bothering him. Though, this time, she decided not to poke around.

Tionne was a little surprised at herself. She had intended to keep up the cold and stoic appearance, but a few conversations had melted the barrier just slightly. While she didn't fully trust these people, nor them her, Tionne felt the familiarity she had with her old squad. A beeping sound filled the silence and Fives activated the wristlink, Krell's voice coming from the other side. Fives said his farewells and jogged into the hallway, the door swishing shut behind him.

"If you're going to continue to prode around my helmet, the least you can do is let me show you how everything works." Tionne scolded, mix-matched eyes sending daggers to the mechanical being.

"Your HUD isn't exactly a foreign area, Spartan." It replied. "Let me work in peace."

"I'm going to wind up shanking you when I get out."


	5. Chapter 5

**Note: I aimed for this chapter to be fairly long, but we all know that it looks different of mobile than on computer. Fair warning, I can't write fight scenes for the life of me, lmao. On another note, I've been debating about the properties of a lightsaber and an energy sword. I've seen some fics several years ago where an energy sword can block an attack from the lightsaber. This is also probably something I'm overthinking as its 4am and my brain is running about a thousand thoughts at the same time, lol. Hopefully, this chapter suffices.**

 **Edit: I've made an AO3 account, SaoirseFirefly, if some of my readers are on there as well!**

Tionne hasn't seen anyone enter the cellroom since Fives left a couple of hours ago, and she could feel herself getting antsy. That old feeling one gets when something bad is about to happen kicked in and she began to pace in that small cell, her heavy footfalls are the only sounds reverberating in the empty room. Tionne had been asking her annoying, yet talkative, droid companion about events and learned that the opposing command ship had been obliterated, which she felt a little triumphant even though she didn't partake in the fighting.

"While your helmet is all that different than that of a clone's, it certainly intrigues me." The droid's mechanical voice snapped Tionne out of her incessant pacing. "Does your helmet interface with the rest of your armor?" The droid was currently turning the Commando type helmet in his servos and the Spartan nodded.

"It allows access to friendly radio uplinks, view enemy locations, as well as allies, and determine shield strength during missions." She pointed out. "Linked sensors in my gloves can detect what type of weapon I'm holding as well as its ammo entirety of the armor itself is hardened againts many types of hazardous material and the filters allow me to breath safely. I assume your army's helmets have filters as well?"

The droid's head gave a single nod in response and it made a noise similar to a hum, looking at the piece of equipment. "May I see how it works?"

"You'll have to shut down the energy field," the Spartan replied, 'in order for me to do so."

Metallic servos tapped against her helmet, pondering if it was really worth it. While CT-5555 may be able to calm the situation, if the droid opted to shut down the field, but there was no doubt that General Krell may slice him to scrap metal. In the end, he decided that it wasn't worth it just yet and set the helmet back on the table. "Excuse me, but I have other matters to attend to."

The Spartan, though grateful for the momentary distraction, continued to pace in a more bored-like manner. It wasn't until a few moments later that Fives, and one Tionne didn't recognize, were cuffed and led to the cell next to hers. _What the hell did I miss? More importantly, what the hell did they do?_ Tionne took notice of the Captain's hopeless expression as he entered the brig later and she managed to put two-and-two together before he announced the imprisoned soilders' fates. They were about to executed and the Spartan felt her veins run cold. Tionne knew that her and many others, in the event of a rogue Spartan, were trained to hunt them down. Wether or not they lived, decided on whoever sent them. There were a few times were Tionne and a couple of her squadmates would discuss civilian lifestyles, and a particular question would hang over them: What would happen to them when the war ended? Would they be discarded, remain in service to keep the peace, or will they be able to live among civilians?

When Fives and the others were out of earshot, she had the droid pull up the secruity feed to the courtyard, a small line of men with rifled pointed at the other two lined agains a wall. While the feed was lacking in audio, Tionne made sure the droid kept relaying the event to her. "They all seem hesistant." Came his voice. "Though the tattooed one, not so much."

Tionne wandered momentarily who the droid was talking about, then recalled that Dogma had a large tattoo down his face. "Is he in the firing line?"

The droid shook his head. "Standing at the sidelines, overseeing." Both mech and human fell silent for a few minutes before the droid stated that it everyone looked to be arguing over something, and later, pulling their triggers. "They missed."

 _Missed?_ "They missed?"

"Looks to be intentional, as well."

Tionne couldn't help but feel a little relieved. Though she hadn't been here long, she can imagine that Krell had been the one to order court martial. Fives came down to the brig, accomplice in tow, and introduced him as Jesse. They explained that they were responsible for the command ship's destruction and that a close friend of theirs, Hardcase, gave his life so they could escape. Fives communica began to light up and accepted the transmission, speaking to the Captain in hushed tones.

"We'll need to be heading out soon." Fives looked over at Jesse. "The scouts have intel that the Umbarans are acquiring clone armor, hoping to disguise themselves."

A look Tionne nearly recognized darkened Jesse's features as he nodded and headed towards the exit. It was _disgust_ and _anger._ Tionne remembered at time when she was at Alexandria assiting with civilian evacuations, she and others would get that look tossed their way as they traveled between evac zones. ODST's were notorious about their _dislike_ towards Spartans and were not afraid of letting it be known. She nodded her farwell Fives followed Jesse into the corridor and sent herself into a handstand, using the wall in the event she would lose her balance, and began a form of pushup.

"Now what are you up to?" her constant companion quizzed with a whirl of his head.

"I'm bored and I'm not allowed out of my cell," Tionne replied, "so this is how I will be keeping the insanity at bay. Besides, us humans need exercise."

"You certainly are a strange one, A-253." The droid replied before they both fell silent for a few moments and Tionne found herself thinking back to Fives' words, that the enemy is using clone armor to disguise themselves, and a cold feeling settled in her gut. While it's not an uncommon tactic, she found herself wondering how the armor would sit on the Umbarans rather _slender_ frames. _Don't judge a book by its cover._ Tionne thought to herself. Spartan armor always made them look bulkier than usual-in some cases.

"I don't suppose you could get into the comms and let me listen, could you?"

"Easily." The droid replied. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm-" What? Worried? That alone concerned Tionne, as she still saw this army as possible hostiles, despite the outward decency shown by most, aside from Krell. "I'm just curious. As a Spartan, it's a habit to know any ongoing events."

The droid nodded and calibrated a commlink before motioning for Tionne to hand him her forearm. Once it was placed, Tionne activated the device and was met with Rex screaming. His screaming had shooken Tionne to her core and it confirmed that cold feeling. They had been lead astray. Quickly shutting it off, she about had half a mind to rip the comm from her forearm platting and chuck it. Even moments later, despite the deafening silence, the screaming was still echoing in her ears. A couple of hours had passed before the sounds of blaster fire and lightsabers could be heard in the base, Fives and and Rex rushed into the brig. Then, after several hours since her imprisonment, the ray shield went down and Fives snatched her helmet from the droid, much to its dismay, and handed it to the Spartan.

"General Krell revealed himself to be a traitor." Rex said, breathless. "He's taken out several of our men. I know that you are not easily fluenced by the Force, and that you are a soldier as well. The 501st needs your assisstance."

"Well," Tionne replied, latching her helmet back into place, "you've got it. I'll need whatever weapons I came with." The two troopers nodded and led her to the armory. Sure enough, her energy sword lay on a table. "Mind if a borrow a rifle? I didn't exactly have one on me when I arrived."

"Take your pick." Fives replied. "Plenty of weaponry to choose from." The three of them scoured the armory, stocking back up on ammo and explosives before they headed out into the courtyard. It was there, that Dogma held them at gunpoint. Rex and Fives had convinced the rookie to lay down his weapon and two troopers came forward and put him in binders, leading Dogma back into the base. "It seems that Krell wants to fight us on his own terms." Fives pointed out as the Besalisk's trail led them out into the growths.

"To think this would get boring." Tionne said lowly, following the two off the base grounds along with several others. "Let's keep it tight, yeah?" she looked among the white and blue troopers. The silence that surrounded them, aside from the subtle footfalls against the dirt. "I got something on radar, and it's heading this way, fast." The Spartan tightened her grip on the rifle in her hands and raised it into firing position. Keeping an eye on the dot, Tionne noticed that it stopped and she too, stopped. After a few moments of heavy silence, Krell's large body dropped down into the group.

Screams, blaster fire and lightsabers filled the air as the fight continued. Tionne fired off several shots of her own, only for them to be redirected every which way. Giving a frustrated growl, Tionne reached for the energy sword clipped to her belt, igniting the blue blade and getting into a fighting stance. I've been waiting for this moment for quite some time.

"Well now, it seems we'll get to see what you can really do." Krell chuckled, twirling the lightsabers, hoping for a reaction. When he got none, Krell gave a snarl and charged at the Spartan, bringing down a lightsaber in a large arc for it to be halted by the energy sword. It was probably a good thing it deflected the attack, as Tionne had never bothered to see it it would. Several clashes were exchanged, the lightsabers bouncing off of Tionne's shields, though she still took damage, the rating going from the sixty percent to nearly ten. A few more hits and it would just be the armor between her and the lightsabers. Of course, though, Krell didn't get off scott free; a few cuts and forming bruises from gauntleted melee attacks adorned his face.

The rapid beeps sounded in her ears as her shields were nearly depleted and an unfamiliar sound came from behind and the large Besalisk turned into dead weight and dropped into the dirt. He was still alive, but seemed to be unconscious.

"He's stunned." Rex explained, standing next to her. "But let's get him secured before he wakes up. Tionne, grab his weapons."

"Gladly." She then reached for the two lightsabers and clipped them to her belt. Once Krell was cuffed, Tionne helped them drag the former Jedi's weight back to the base. While waiting for Krell to regain consciousness, Tionne looked over her armor, wondering how in the hell she was going to repair it as she really didn't want to discard it. "Damn it all to hell." She clenched her fist as she gave an annoyed huff.

* * *

As he slowly returned to the land of the living, Krell felt his frustration grow as he realized his surroundings. A group of clones and that Spartan bested him! Upon hearing the sound of a pistol whirring to life, he gave a deep laugh. "Let me ask you this: can you really kill me, Captain? I can feel your anger, your hate-" Of course, though, he didn't finish as Dogma ended Krell's life.

Tionne felt some sympathy for the lad; after all, the chain of command just shattered before him, leaving the trooper a mess of confusion and betrayel. Though, she could only offer Dogma a hand on the shoulder as they took him away. "What's going to happen to him?" she asked quietly and Fives only shook his head.

"They'll either put him in prison or-" he stopped short and Tionne figured that, whatever it was, it was bad.

"You don't need to say it." Tionne simply said and familiar red hair came into her vision, her and the others standing tall at attention. "General."

"While you are still under watch, you also aided us in capturing Krell and ending his betrayel. Because of that, I would like to offer you a chance to prove your loyalty and fight along side us." Kenobi offered his hand.

"I would like nothing more, General." Tionne replied, reaching her hand out to grasp Obi-wan's.


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay, so I didn't have any notes planned for this one, until I went to describe Temuera Morrison's accent. I've tried to look it up and see if it had a specific name, but no luck. So, if any of you know, please let me know!**

Sometime after the death of Krell and the successful capture of Umbara's capital, the remaining 501st and 212th stood in the hanger of the _Resolute_ , Kenobi waiting for his respective flagship. "While we are grateful you aided in stopping Krell," General Kenobi began, "I'm afraid that you are still underwatch for the time being. In the meantime, I can have someone show you to your quarters."

Tionne nodded silently, understanding Obi-Wan's precautions. "No need, General. I'm sure I can find my way around." The aforementioned looked slightly skeptical, but agreed to let her go nonetheless. While she didn't want to take up more of the General's time, Tionne secretly wanted to be alone for a few moments. Being under constant surveillance, if you want to call it that, got tiresome real quick. What she also needed was a goddamn _shower._ After being given a few directions, Tionne finally stood in front of her quarters and typed in the key code, the door opening with a swish. Truth be told, she wasn't expecting anything grand. In fact, the Spartan was a little glad to see familiar blandness. _Reminds me of the facility back on Reach._ She mused to herself.

Removing her helmet, Tionne set it on the end table and removed the other armor pieces until she was clad only in the black bodysuit. Sorting through the drawers, she found a pair of shorts and a tank top and headed into the adjoining bathroom. Adjusting the water, Tionne shed the thick material and stepped into the shower, hot water relaxing a tenseness she wasn't all that aware of. Finishing the rest of the shower, Tionne then dried off and dressed in the clothes sitting on a shelf. "I'm gonna need a haircut soon." She mumbled to herself, running the towel over her head. Her hair had once been as short as Kat's, but had recently grown out in loose waves. Giving a soft hum, she searched the small cabinet and drawer for scissors or even an electric razor. Finding the former, she clicked it on and began shaving her head until the sign of wavy hair was gone, leaving the equivalent of a flat pixie cut. Once everything was said and done, Tionne brushed off and swept up the hair locks and dumped them into the trash bin. Looking into the mirror, the Spartan's mind transported her back to her days as a cadet, standing in a row with the others and waiting for instruction.

 _It feels strange,_ Tionne thought to herself, _being out of armor-and the bodysuit, no less!_ Tionne had spent a good portion of her life in that armor, adjusting to its bulk and weight. Now that she was in plain clothing, it almost gave her an unwanted sense of vulnerability. A sudden knock on the door caused jolted her from the thoughts and it slid open, revealing the familiar armor of Fives. "At least you knocked first."

"I'd figured you'd probably pounce if I didn't." ." Fives replied. "I'm a little surprised someone didn't escort you here."

"I have little knowledge about this ship's layout, even less than about your armies." Tionne simply stated. "I'm at a disadvantage here and I'm sure your generals know it, as well."

Fives stood silent for a few moments. While she was right about being at a disadvantage, that didn't make her any less dangerous than she actually was. He and several others witnessed first hand what the Spartan was capable of and Fives didn't doubt her skills. Clearing his throat, he continued speaking. "The eggheads caught wind of your armor repealing Krell's lightsabers and would like to examine it when we dock at Coruscant." The Arc fell silent for another few moments, watching for a reaction. It was subtle, the way she tensed.

"It's just armor." Tionne started. "How the hell is it so interesting to them?" _Why are you so defensive about it?_ she groused silently

"They find anything new to them interesting." he chuckled, "their pretty much harmless and won't destroy it-just examine it."

Tionne fell silent, contemplating over her answer. While she was used to scientist poking around her armor, these people were new and unfamiliar to the Spartan, making her a little defensive. Aside from her deceased squad mate's dogtags, the armor was the only thing left had from Reach. "Fine. But I want to be present for it." Tionne replied grudgingly.

"That's another thing. They want to examine you as well." Fives felt his own stomach turn at the word _examine_ , the soft voices of the Kaminoians filling his head. The sharp glint in her eyes told him she wasn't fond of the word, either. "Good news is, you have a few hours before we dock at the port. So, you've got some free time. They're serving in the mess hall, if you're feeling hungry."

As if on cue, Tionne felt her stomach rumble quietly. The last time he offered, she was still reeling from the use of the Force on her mind. Nodding her head, Fives motioned for her to follow and the two of them headed towards the mess hall. It was a somewhat comfortable silence, the sound of boots and simple shoes against the tile floor.

"Can I ask you something?" Fives quizzed and Tionne nodded. It seems they were as well. "How did you get on Umbara? We managed to follow a trail that led us to a dead body of unknown origin."

Tionne wanted to say, but really couldn't find the words to describe how. "I'm not all that sure. I was on Reach one minute, and the next, I'm on Umbara." It didn't seem like time travel to her, since this world seems to be equally advanced as hers. Perhaps it just sent her to another universe? "I'm not insane." the Spartan simply said, catching Fives' expression.

Fives held up his hands in mock surrender. "Just checking. I don't want to be killed in my sleep. One more, if I may. Is A-253 all you have, or did you have a true name at one point?"

Tionne debated fiercely on whether or not to tell him as that was a personal question. It kind of irritated her at how _relaxed_ he seemed to be around her, compared to the others. The Spartan herself had been trying to give him the cold shoulder, but to no avail. It surprised her how chatty she had been lately. But, if Tionne was going to be stuck with them for awhile, the least she could do was seem a little more friendly. It doesn't bode well for either side if both parties are unable to trust one another. "Tionne." she replied, running her hand through short blonde hair. "Just Tionne. No last name...that I can remember at least."

She caught the confusion in his dark eyes, but held off on that for another time. Through all the training she had in the last several years, she barely remembered her life before being taken from her home at six years old. Tionne had found herself questioning as to why children, only to later understand that their younger minds and bodies would adapt much more easily to the augmentations.

"You know what, Tionne? You clean up nice for a prisoner."

"Piss off, Fives."

* * *

Once they arrived, they grabbed their trays and sat at the long table along with several other 501st members. She took notice of the Captain, the pauldron and belt-spat familiar to her, of how similarr he looked to Fives, except for buzzed blonde hair and no facial tattoo. Same goes for another; except he had a teardrop tattoo and hair pulled into a topknot. How the hell does he get away with that? Tionne thought to herself.

"I notice that look on your face." The Captain, who she later learned as Rex, said and she felt like she had offended in some way. "We're all clones. While we share the same face, our personalities and own style are much different. It's what makes us unique."

Tionne nodded, chewing on the bland food, and listened to the conversations around her. While so many of the voices nearly sounded the same, the differences were there. Some deeper or lighter than others, a few Irish sounding and others sounding similar to a Māori accent. It wasn't just voices, it was hair length/color and eye color, scars and tattoos and it reminded her of the UNSC and the various people she met while there. Tionne learned the name of the new face, Tup, and he questioned about her homeworld.

"I've always remembered it to be somewhat chilly. The planet was mostly mountains and valleys with a few ice shelves here and there." Tionne replied. "It rained quite often in the more mountainous regions." She continued to describe some of the cities and how long a year was there. That seemed to spark a conversation about their own home, Kamino, and how it constantly rained there. "Spartans are trained to withstand any environment, but I wouldn't step foot there if it was an option." The conversation continued on for sometime before they excused themselves for the night and retreated to their respective quarters.

 **This is kind of a slow chapter, in my opinion. Good news, though, I've got the next couple of chapters planned out!**


	7. Chapter 7

**It's finally here! I've tried to do some research on how the augmentation process affects the human body before doing this, as well as better fight scenes, so if anything seems off, let me know!**

 **Edit: A reviewer had mentioned duplicate sentences and, while deleting them, I went through and made some grammatical fixes changed a few phrases to help it sound better.**

Just like Fives had stated, they arrived sometime later at one of Coruscant's spaceports and Tionne was greeted with something similar to the ports she saw on Reach, feeling a small tug at her heart strings. Normally, the Spartan kept a tight rein on her emotions, but Reach was the closest thing she had to a home. Feeling a gloved hand pat her shoulder, she followed Fives into a circular complex at the end of the platform, her armor encased and in tow, wincing slightly at the brightly lit corridors. She continued to silently follow the Arc Trooper until they stood in front of two heavy doors. Watching as he keyed a set of numbers, the doors slid open and only a handful of white uniforms stood out against darker walls.

"You must be A253." _At least she used my designation._ "I'm Sionver Boll. I, along with some of my associates, will be studying your armor as well as your physical capabilities. But for now, let's take a look at your armor." Sionver motioned for Tionne to grab the casing and push it over to a large table. Disengaging the latches, she methodically placed the helmet and plating on the table, stepping aside and letting them examine each piece. Fives clapped the Spartan's shoulder once more before he began his return to the Resolute. Aside from the occasional question about the armor's capabilities, it was a rather silent examination and Tionne was more than grateful, not being much of a chatterbox around the eggheads.

"You mentioned that the helmet allows for AI usage?" One of them quizzed, voice tinged with a curiosity that reminded her of fresh marines asking about the feats made by the Spartans. _That is if the didn't end up disliking us._

"Yes." Tionne replied, giving a single nod. She turned the helmet around around pointed to a small slot in the back. "Inside there is a small crystalline network that can support AI's more reserved for starships. While it can increase the reaction time by five, normal humans cannot use the suits without injuring themselves, due to them being so reactive." She explained and the scientist made a small humming sound before asking about the helmet's HUD. "It can project the user's shield strength, waypoints, monitor health and other useful data such as radio uplinks." She watched him turn back to his colleagues and discuss the _small_ similarities between her helmet and those worn by the clone troopers.

Once everything was said and done, they guided the Spartan to another room more the physical part of the examination.

"If you would, please stand behind the screen." Sionver said, starting up the X-ray. When Tionne's skeletal form appeared on her end, the scientist took a few notes. Mostly those regarding the structural strength of the bones and the larger muscle mass of that of a normal human female. Disabling the screen, Sionver pushed it out of the way before listening to Tionne's heart rate, which seemed-higher, in lack of better words, but concluded that it was probably normal for someone that has gone through an augmentation process. "You're physiology is certainly something to behold." she said, stepping away from the Spartan. "It's almost similar to the Alpha Arc's."

"Alpha Arcs?" Tionne quizzed, her curiosity peaked.

"They're built similar to you." Sionver replied. "In terms of behavior, they're independent thinkers, but are not hesitant in voicing their opinions and disagreements. "The troopers can be notoriously difficult to work with."

At this, Tionne felt a small smirk of amusement. The way Sionver described the Alpha Arcs reminded her of Noble Team's Warrant Officer, Emile. She personally had never fought alongside Noble, but the Marines talked during whatever down time they had, stating that the Spartan was as aggressive as he was opinionated. Though, her own squad mates had their own moments every so often. The sound of equipment being set on the table snapped Tionne out of her thoughts.

"We've finished for now." Sionver said. "You may return to your cruiser."

The Spartan nodded and placed the armor pieces back into their respective spots in the casing before latching it shut. Pulling it close behind her, Tionne found her way back to the Resolute and was greeted by Fives once more. "How'd it go?"

"About as well as one would think." She replied. "It was pretty quiet, with the occasional question about my armor. Sionver mentioned that I'm similar to the Alpha Arcs." The Spartan said, somewhat offhandedly. Her Arc trooper companion nodded, bringing up their skirmish with Krell. "It's a shame about Dogma, though." Tionne said and Fives sighed. "Sorry."

Fives waved her off. "He's not the first brother we've had to put away." He then fell silent and Tionne decided to not push the subject any further. Within a few moments, the Resolute came into view.

* * *

 _Several hours later..._

Tionne resided in a small area of the hangar, having spent the last several hours trying to repair her armor. The engineers, much to her relief, allowed her to use what tools they had available. She managed to pound out some of the dents placed and, by some miracle, managed to get the shields recharged. Activating the shields, the familiar hum hit her ears and looked down at the datapad, the rising bar turning from yellow to green. _That has to be at least eighty-five percent._ Tionne thought to herself. The sound of plastoid against the floor caught her attention and she turned her head to see an unfamiliar face.

"The General Skywalker asks you to be present on the bridge." The trooper said. "Follow me."

Nodding her head, Tionne followed the trooper up to the bridge. There, she was met with the sight of Captain Rex, General Skywalker and a younger girl with orange tinted skin and striped head montrals. In the center of the group sat a large holo-table, a spire built into the side of mountains project in a transparent blue.

"Spartan." Rex greeted.

"So this is our new soldier?" Skywalker asked. "The one who helped stop Krell?"

"Yes General." The Captain replied. "After the Umbaran incident, Kenobi suggested that she fight alongside the Grand Army."

"I see. Nice to know that Kenobi has been making decisions without me." He then turned his attention to the holo-table. "We've gotten information from the Vando locals that Separatist movements have increased around the spire, and that our friend General Grievous has been in the area." Skywalker then turned his attention to Tionne. "Spartan, you are going to be doing a search and destroy mission. Find your way to the top and set a targeting transmitter." After taking a few minutes to discuss extra details, she and the others were dismissed from the bridge to stock up for the mission.

"We'll be just down the mountain side," Rex stated, catching up to her. as she boarded the gunship, "taking some of their attention off of you while you scour around the spire. Can't let you have all the fun." At his comment, Tionne snorted.

"You better be quick then, Captain. Spartans don't like to wait around." With that, the doors shut and they took off towards the mountainous planet.

* * *

"This is as far as I can take you!" The pilot hollered. "Any higher and the winds'll blow us into the mountain!"

"Here's fine, pilot." Rex replied, double checking his insulated suit. "Just put her down here." When the doors opened, Tionne's armor was blasted with frigid winds and she felt the interior part of her suit begin to adjust to the sudden drop in temperature. _Out of all the places this spire could've been at._ She thought irritably. _It had to be the damn mountains._ Looking out into the distance, Tionne noticed a large crevice with lights barely visible through the snowy haze.

"That's Fort Ypso." Fives' voice came into her earpiece. "One of Vandor's major cities. Between us and the spire is Eos Base, a small military compound. They'll guide you to the base of the spire and aid us down below while you're up top." The sounds of a couple of gunships were barely heard as they approached, the only thing giving them away was how the snow fluttered upwards from the ground. With the rest of the troopers in tow, Tionne and Rex made their way to Eos and found that Fives had already filled them in.

One motioned for Tionne to follow and they headed up the mountain, the large structure finally coming into view. Nodding her head, the guide took his leave and the Spartan stuck the picks into the wall and made her ascent. Given the augmentation, Tionne's strikes into the ice gave her a stronger hold than most, though only in area's where the ice was thick. After a few feet, Tionne had found the platform for an entryway and hacked the controls. With the door sliding open, she stepped inside and activated the waypoint on her HUD and followed the dot. The Spartan nearly jumped out of her skin when the klaxon sounded, the motion tracker began showing several red blips and the floors beneath her feet vibrating as the cannons fired. "You doing alright down there, Captain?"

"We've ran into a bit of trouble." Rex replied. "We've got it handled! Just make sure you get to the top and set the transmitter." The connection ended there and she made her way through the corridors. There's the old saying _No plan survives first contact with the enemy,_ Tionne having ran into the occasional small group of droids, disposing them with ease-and a few headshots. Continuing her path, she came across the control room for the large cannons and a large, four-armed cyborg and she fell into a silent and aggressive fighting stance.

"You must be the Republic's new pet." Grievous' voice was rough like gravel. "You're not what I expected." Still no answer. "No matter, I"ll quick make work of you." The General then lunged at Tionne, the Spartan sliding under the attack and brought her leg around towards a leg, knocking him off balance. Resetting themselves, the two went at it again, Grievous bringing down both lightsabers only for Tionne to snatch below his wrists. The cyborg could feel the gears begin to creak with the amount of force she put out.

 _Stronger than the clones. Dooku will want to hear of this._ He thought to himself as he kicked her back and brought a third arm down diagonally, the blade catching the armor. _The armor is more resilient than expected._ The thought proved to be a horrible mistake as something bright blinded his eyes and a horrible, metallic cracking sound could be heard as his knee joint went at an angle and the leg skidded across the floor! Sending another kick out, the General landed hard against the control panel, sparks flying and the power cutting out. Heaving himself up, Grievous leaped and clung to the greaves in the ceiling before Tionne could deliver another blow and climbed his way to safety.

"That takes care of that." She simply said before heading to the lift and hitting the top button. Skywalker's voice then came on the earpiece.

"I'm assuming that's your work?" He quizzed, referring to the disabling of the cannons.

"Yes General." She replied. "I'm heading up to the top now. Grievous happened to be in the control room and currently wounded, though he escaped." At the mention of the General, she could have sworn she heard a curse.

"The spire is our main concern at the moment." Skywalker said. "Let's hurry up and head home, Spartan."

"Yessir!" She replied and soon felt the lift come to a stop, feeling the full force of the winds. Carefully making her way to the center, she latched down the transmitter and activated it's signal. "Transmitters in place, General. Making my descent now."

"Roger that!" It was Fives this time. "We're all good down here. We'll see you in a bit."

 _I figure I can probably just slide most of the way down-_ Her thought was interrupted by the heat of aerial cannon fire and she leaped off the side, caught in sliding in snow and debris. She could feel larger chucks hit her armor and the spaces between them, causing a deep and throbbing pain. The way down felt like it lasted an eternity before a weightless feeling caught her tumbling form. Twisting her head around, she caught Skywalker with his hand outstretched and a focused expression on his face as he lowered her to the ground.

"Kriff, Tionne!" Fives exclaimed. "You alright?"

"I'm alright Fives. This armor can take a lot of punishment." She pointed to the burn mark across the chest plate. "Let's just get back to the Resolute, yeah?"


	8. Chapter 8

**This chapter will be broken up into two parts. I would also like to note that I changed my name on here as well as AO3 to Allta, just so usernames are consistent across the sites. I had planned on posting this days earlier, but I ended up with what felt like a three day migraine and the fight scene is a bit rushed.**

 _ **Kamino, two days before the skirmish on Atollon**_

The room was silent, save for the soft tapping of keys as the cadets of Sigma Squad gathered around a terminal, whispering in nervous and hushed tones of getting caught by the trainers or the Kaminoans as it was prohibited being in the halls after curfew. Several minutes of searching passed by and they finally came across a file labeled Spartan A-253, Tionne.

"You sure we should be doing this, Dev?" Ink quizzed, looking over his shoulder. "If we get caught-"

Dev cut him off. "We won't get caught. I've put Awen on monitor watch and he'll alert us if anyone heads this way. Besides, we're all curious about the rumor surrounding this soldier." he motioned to the file. Pulling it open, the other four troopers leaned in closer, eager to learn about the newcomer.

"It says she just appeared on Umbara with a creature of unknown origin." Another cadet, Owl, said with slight confusion. "No crashed escape pods or anything."

Ink then butted in. "I've heard the Spartan took on Krell and Grievous and lived to tell the tale." They continued to read over the info until a somewhat younger sounding voice came over Dev's comlink.

"Two of the trainers are heading your way." Awen spoke with slight urgency. "I suggest you move quickly and return to the barracks. I'll wipe any evidence of your presence." With that, they shut down the terminal, cleared the recent search and hurriedly made their way back to the mentioned floor, Awen entering the large room seconds after.

 _ **Present Day, aboard the Resolute**_

Ever since the skirmish on Vandor, the combat sorties on her record began to grow as well as the General's trust in the Spartan. Over the course of time, Tionne was able to easily meld into 501st, especially within Torrent Company, forming a strong bond with Rex and Fives. At the moment, Tionne followed said troopers into the hangar, where a squad of four awaited side by side.

"These are the new transfers?" Tionne quizzed, eyeing the troopers curiously. "I now understand why you call them _shinies_. There's not a speck on their armor. Spartans basically live in their armor and it's scratched by the time we see conflicts." She then fell silent as they came to a stop in front of the recruits, Rex having them call out their name and number. The troopers then stepped up one by one.

"CC-9692, the others call me Dev." Said trooper stepped forward and she took notice of Dev's appearance. Dark hair was cut into a crew cut and slightly wavy, light stubble covered his jawline and eyes were pale green.

"CC-0336, Ink, sir!" Ink seemed more eager than his squadmates. The trooper, from what she could see, had a tribal tattoo that curved slightly up his neck and just above the bodyglove collar and eyes a dark amber color, hair in a close shave. "Both Dev and I specialize in explosives."

"CC-6712, Awen." Awen seemed slightly more reserved and just a few inches shorter than the others. Like Dev, hair was looked like it had been originally crew cut as well, though it had grown out some and was lacking the wavy texture. This trooper had mismatched eyes, one brown and the other one a pale blue. "I'm the squad's tech expert, Captain.

"CC-9979, my brothers call me Owl." This trooper gave off a more mature appearance than the other three, no doubt keeping them in line. Owl had a slightly thicker line of stubble than Dev and a small scar down the left side of his mouth and hair in a crew. "Squad's sniper." He simply added afterward.

"I don't doubt that you four are aware of the Arc Trooper and Spartan behind me." Rex motioned towards the duo. "For the this next mission on Atollon, they both will be planetside, but you four will be serving mainly alongside the Spartan. You're dismissed until the briefing in the next few minutes." The Captain finished and the recruits gave a quick salute before turning towards each other.

Tionne turned towards Fives and bumped his arm with her own. "Guess that means we'd better get ready ourselves." She turned on her heel and headed towards the armory. "What do you think we'd expect?"

"Other than the usual hordes of droids? I'm unsure." Fives replied, loading the tibanna cartridge into his own blasters. "I know that Atollon is way out into the outer rim territories, has an underground cave network and that the wildlife there is fairly hostile. We've got a couple of hours to prepare, so we'll go over any information ourselves." The Arc cast a sideways glance at the Spartan and chuckled quietly. Tionne had come a long way since Umbara, though she still has her reclusive and silent moments, she's been more talkative lately. _At least she's adjusting okay. Not that I doubted she would-_

Tionne's deadpan voice shook Fives from his thoughts. "You're about to drop a cartridge."

 _Thank the Manda for helmets!_ "Seems my mind is elsewhere at the moment."

"Come on. Let's head back to the hangar."

* * *

"That's just great!" Tionne's agitated voice was accompanied by chuckling in the busy hangar, nearly covered by the sounds of gunships warming up. "It just had to be damn spiders!" Aside from snail-like lifeforms on Atollon, she came across the Krykna spiders and her distaste was evident before she even said a word. "I'm so glad you get a kick out of this." She turned her eyes on Fives, who was currently chuckling into his hand.

"It's amusing." Fives replied. "You're more than capable of handling yourself, and yet, you despise spiders."

"Don't push your luck, trooper. I might just leave you planetside." The Spartan threatened with a teasing smirk and the Arc held up his hands in mock surrender before patting her shoulder in a farewell and headed towards the gunship housing Skywalker and Rex. The newly recruited Sigma Squad approached their gunship, packs slung over shoulders. "Have you four readied yourselves? Because we'll be some distance away from the others and the possibility of encountering hostile wildlife is very high."

"Yes, ma'am." Owl replied as they boarded the gunship. "Awen has accounted for many outcomes-it's a bit of a hobby for him."

Tionne nodded, feeling familiarity at Owl's words. _Sounds pretty similar to Kat. The few times I've encountered her, she was always running through different scenarios and outcomes._ The last time she had ever heard about the technology expert's whereabouts, she and the other members of Noble were in New Alexandria-and after that, nothing else. _It's safer to assume she's met her end._ Tionne thought morbidly before turning back to the recruits. It doesn't do anyone any good to dwell on a thought like that for too long. "While it never hurts to prepare, one can never be sure what to expect. So keep an eye out, yeah?"

As the blast doors slammed shut, the small space where they stood was engulfed in darkness, save for a dim red light, and a slight shift could be felt as the gunship lifted and took off towards Atollon's surface. At some point, the gunship's frame shuttered beneath their boots, the pilot announced they were experiencing some minor turbulence, and the Spartan inwardly groaned. She always had a distaste for flying. Tionne could handle a lack of gravity easily, but just hated the idea of being trapped in a _heavy-ass container soaring through the air._ Eventually, the gunship came to a stop and the doors opened up, the landscape darkening as their HUD's adjusted to the sudden intensity of sunlight.

"So," Ink spoke with feign curiosity, earning a snort from one of his brothers, "looks interesting."

"I'm still unsure of what the Republic plans to do here." Owl said, moving up to stand next to the Spartan. "Despite it being way in the Outer Rim territories, the planet's pretty barren and doesn't seem to have a lot of strategic value."

"One of the things I've learned serving alongside your military," Tionne began, "is that one has to get creative when establishing bases. From what Fives and I learned, this sector is still uncharted and the planet itself isn't apart of any major hyperspace routes. That's probably why it peaked the General's curiosity."

"Long story short, they want us to scope out the area for any resources or anything else that might persuade them to build as base here?" Dev quizzed and the Spartan nodded.

"The sooner we start, the sooner we get done." She stated. "Sigma squad, link up to my radio frequency and switch to private comms." Tionne flicked her eyes towards the bottom right of her HUD and watched as four signatures popped up, yellow for a few moments before turning green. "It seems you're all connected. Can you read me?" she asked and a chorus of 'yes ma'am' sounded in her earpiece. "Good, no need for our voices to carry. Sigma squad, wedge formation."

* * *

The sun had long since fallen behind the coral-like trees, casting long shadows over the ground as Tionne and Sigma scouted the area. For the most part, and aside from the occasional critter skittering across the dirt, it had been relatively quiet. _I'm not liking this one bit._ Tionne thought to herself as she checked over her rifle for what seemed the thousandth time. The motion tracker-and she was certain Sigma saw it as well-would occasionally have a larger blimp than usual, but they couldn't find the body it belonged to. _They'd better not have a damn cloaking device._ She thought irritably. _If it turns out they don't, then the trackers must be picking them up while they're underground._ As they continued onward, the ground seemed to lose the hard packed feeling beneath her boots and concluded that it must be hollow.

"What is it?" Owl quizzed as the Spartan halted the squad and gently stomped the ground.

"Atollon, other than being in the ass-end of the Outer Rim territories, has a massive network of underground tunnels and we, gentlemen, seem to be standing over one."

"They also house the Krykna spiders." Awen cut in with a small shudder. "Nasty creatures."

The Spartan gave a nod and motioned for them to continue, and no sooner after, the trackers lit up with two red blimps rushing towards them, a sound similar to clacking teeth filled the air. "Rifle's up, Sigma." she ordered through the shared frequency and the sound of tibanna gas warming up was barely heard over as the giant spiders reared their ugly heads. "Owl, I want you to hang back a bit and provide some cover from the trees."

"Yes, ma'am!" Owl placed the sniper attachment onto his weapon and hung back at a distance and took aim at the giant spiders which, to his dismay, did little to no damage, aside from minor burns-of course. "It barely dented their armor!" The trooper then switched back to the default barrel. "Their underbelly might be softer!"

"I'd suggest explosives," Ink spoke up over blaster fire, "but the shockwave may cause the ground to give way and send us into the tunnels."

"We might have to take that risk!" Dev said, reaching into his pack and pulled out a couple of grenades. "Spartan, can you get them up?"

"That I can, Dev." Tionne rushed forward as one of the spiders brought its front legs up in an attempt to pierce her armor, only for her to catch them in her hands, much like she did Grievous weeks ago. The Krykna screeched as it attempted to free itself from her grip. "Dev, whatever the hell you're planning, you better do it now!" The sound of thermal detonators rolled around her feet and she let go, jumping just as they exploded against the large creatures underbelly. The ground shook momentarily and, the next thing everyone knew, they were engulfed in darkness.

"Sigma, roll call." Awen said, flicking on his headlamp.

"Dev and I are alright." Ink said, the dust settling on his armor. "I think Owl is still above ground."

"Yeah." Came a simple reply and a helmeted head peered over the edge.

"Are you able to radio back to any of the others?" Tionne quizzed and the trooper nodded.

"General Skywalker's group is closest to us. Need me to radio for backup?"

"It couldn't hurt. In the meantime, we'll look for a way out." She watched as Owl disappeared once more and turned to the remainder of Sigma and gave a wave of her hand. _Let's move._


End file.
